Life Culture Update: July 2016

Women’s Whole Health vs Hellerstedt

I was visiting our son and his family in Dallas, Texas on June 27, 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-3 ruling in the abortion facility medical standards case, Woman’s Whole Health vs. Hellerstedt, striking down Texas’ rules protecting women’s health and safety.

The following was written to me in an email from Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life. This is an organization that I highly respect, and I have an upcoming article to be published in their July magazine.

Justice Kennedy said that the law would have created an obstacle for women seeking abortions. What Justice Kennedy fails to realize is that women are driven to abortion because of obstacles they face in their life.

And now, the Court has put the abortion providers’ interest above those of women. Hundreds of women and teenagers have died since abortion was made legal in this country. Who mourns for Karnamaya Mongar, a poor immigrant murdered by Kermit Gosnell? Who mourns for Dawn Ravenell, a 13-year- old African-American girl who left for school one day, secretly had an abortion and never came home? Who mourns for Christin Gilbert, a teen with Down Syndrome who died from a botched third-term abortion at the hands of George Tiller?

Women must realize that the law will not protect them; doctors, educational institutions, and abusive fathers are not there to protect them or to help them overcome those obstacles.

The new Guttmacher Institute report reveals that things have gotten much worse for women and children in the last eight years. Three out of four women and girls who have abortions are the poor and low income.

Abortion does not make them richer. Sixty-six percent are pursuing a post-secondary degree. Education can raise them out of poverty. Abortion never will.

Fifty-nine percent of those seeking abortions are already mothers. So they know, they know, what “it” is — their own daughter or son. But out of desperation they turn to abortion because they are so concerned about their situation, economically, or psychologically in terms of support from family, employers, educators, and most importantly the father of the child.

Pro-Life Conference in Dallas, Texas

My daughter Laura and I attended an amazing conference in Dallas, Texas at the end of June. It is grassroots organizations such as Big Ocean that will continue to make a difference and save lives of unborn children. Below I am quoting from Laura’s blog. The full text can be found HERE.

Why did we attend the first ever pro-life women’s conference in Dallas, TX the weekend of June 24-26, 2016? My love for my baby and for all babies carried me there. My love for those who have suffered sexual abuse brought me there. For anyone who’s been broken, fallen, felt worthless or without hope, I went for you. At times, these feelings have governed my world, so in that respect, I went for me.

I met so many amazing people, people from all over the country who support a better world.

Serrin M. Foster, President of Feminists for Life, shared so many things about abortion I’d never even considered.

I met my heroes, not celebrities or singers from today’s pop culture, but those who wholeheartedly believe women deserve better than abortion. I met women who regret their abortions and are looking not only to heal, but to heal others, adoption advocates, birth mothers, those who have been adopted, abortion survivors, rape survivors, those born out of rape, single moms, secular women who support humanity, gay women, politicians on both sides of the aisle, volunteers, mothers, grandmothers, daughters, abortion workers who have seen terrible injustices on women and children and who are standing up and speaking out, doctors, lawyers, civil right leaders, clergy, atheists all in support of nonviolence, choices and the very best for women.

Abby Johnson flashes a selfie! We love her.

Check out Laura’s blog HERE for the rest of the article and more photos. She shares touching and specific examples of ways choosing life has affected women’s lives.